The mystery surrounding Kate Middleton and her health status remained for months. Since her abdominal surgery in January, only minor updates have been made by Kensington Palace, and only Prince William has told some minor details to the public while out on royal duty. Neither King Charles nor Queen Camilla said anything – but last Friday, Kate confirmed that she had received a cancer diagnosis.
The exact details surrounding Kate’s cancer aren’t known, and the palace has said she wants them to remain private. Meanwhile, during Easter, the family spent plenty of time together, as they stayed at Anmer Hall at Sandringham for several weeks.
Kate Middleton received plenty of scrutiny following her Mother’s Day picture, which turned out to have been manipulated. Luckily, one family member has had experience dealing with negative comments from both the media and the public: Queen Camilla. She and Kate Middleton have an extraordinary bond—and earlier this week, the queen finally broke the silence on Kate Middleton for the first time following the cancer diagnosis announcement.
Kate Middleton has cancer. The Princess of Wales decided to share the news a week before Easter through their social media channels, and the world was shocked.
Kate Middleton – cancer diagnosis announcement video
While it, of course, is a severe diagnosis, Kate, when sitting at a bench in the garden at Windsor, reassured fans – just like she did with her children – that she is “going to be ok.”
Kate Middleton’s complete statement read;
I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.
It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.
In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team, therefore, advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.
This, of course, came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.
As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.
“We now need some time, space, and privacy”
As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body, and spirits.
Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance, too. As is the love, support, and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.
We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now, I must focus on making a full recovery.
At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.
As Kate Middleton revealed, the news became a “huge shock” to her family. Meanwhile, one can only imagine how Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis took the news. The young children – ten-year-old George, eight-year-old Charlotte, and five-year-old Louis – are Prince William and Kate Middleton’s biggest priority and will always be.
As the Princess of Wales is now facing chemotherapy, they want to protect their children as much as they can, and therefore, the fact that the cancer announcement video was released at 6 pm GMT was not a coincidence.
Exactly when George, Charlotte, and Louis were notified about their mother’s cancer diagnosis is unclear.
How Kate Middleton broke the cancer news to her children
However, according to the Sunday Times, the cancer announcement video was released just a few hours after their children’s school had closed so that they wouldn’t immediately face questions about it from their friends. At that point, they had gotten the news.
“George is ten now and can’t be shielded from any of this now,” a palace source told the Times. “Once it’s at the school gate and in the school playground, he won’t be able to avoid it.”
So, how do you tell your children that you have cancer? One person, King Charles’ former butler Grant Harrold, argues that Prince William and Kate Middleton explained it differently to them.
Speaking with The Post, Harrold, who worked for Charles for seven years when he was the Prince of Wales, said that the couple most likely “sugarcoated” her health issues when they broke the news to Prince Louis.
“I’m sure it was a very difficult and very different conversation between children,” Grant Harrold told the NY Post. “For instance, for Louis, I’m sure the conversation was more sugarcoated than it was with George and Charlotte.”
The former butler continued, “The older children can understand more, so I’d imagine it was a little more frank but undoubtedly staying positive, which is so important.”
“That’s why when you now look at the picture of Kate with her three children, it brings a tear to your eye. For any mother to have that conversation is huge and you can imagine Charlotte and George are going to be good supports for her.”